Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong Pushes Crypto Bill Progress at Davos 2026
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is taking the crypto debate from Washington to the big stage at the World Economic...
Quick overview
- Coinbase withdrew its support for the Senate crypto bill due to concerns regarding the CFTC's authority.
- Stablecoin regulations are a significant point of contention in ongoing legislative discussions.
- Armstrong is engaging with banking leaders to help create balanced legislation that fosters innovation.
- The Senate Banking Committee has delayed the bill's markup as bipartisan negotiations continue.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is taking the crypto debate from Washington to the big stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos – where he’s hoping to knock some heads together, get lawmakers, banks, and crypto platforms talking, and finally work out some of the major sticking points. Armstrong reckons that getting the lowdown from banking leaders is key to crafting legislation that ticks the boxes on innovation and regulation – and gets the balance right.
In a recent post on X, he said: “We’re at it again, working on market structure legislation and meeting with bank bosses to see if we can create a scenario that works for everyone.” He’s also highlighting stablecoins as a potential bridge between the old traditional finance world and the new digital one, and says he’ll be feeding back any feedback from these discussions to policymakers and the government.
Token Classification Drives Market Debate
The Senate crypto bill – which is right at the centre of all this – is trying to determine how digital tokens fall under securities law or commodities oversight. One of the main goals is to bring spot crypto markets under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) – something many US exchanges have been pushing for for a long time.
Armstrong has flagged off a number of issues he’s got concerns about, including:
Just arrived in Davos for @WEF. Three main goals this week:
1) Talk to world leaders about economic freedom and how crypto can update their financial systems
2) Continue the push for market structure legislation
3) Keep pushing for tokenization to democratize access to capital… pic.twitter.com/knjuMZKRtb
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) January 19, 2026
- tokenized equities restrictions that could limit the kind of innovative products being developed
- DeFi and privacy constraints – the kind of thing that could slow down the growth of decentralized finance
- The CFTC is getting weakened, which could see oversight authority shift over to the SEC, slowing down innovation
After reviewing the latest draft of the Senate Banking bill, Coinbase dropped its support, citing these concerns. Armstrong warned that the legislation, in its current form, could block legitimate crypto innovation.
Lawmakers Delay Markup Amid Negotiations
The Senate Banking Committee has put the bill’s markup on hold while bipartisan negotiations continue. They’re still focusing on stablecoin rewards and interest restrictions – trying to make sure that crypto platforms can’t just mimic traditional deposit interest – while still leaving room for some innovative incentive programs.
Armstrong reckons that Davos is also a chance to push out the broader potential of crypto – modernising market infrastructure, enhancing transparency, and improving access to capital markets. He’s hoping these conversations will help shape legislation that really does foster growth – while also addressing all the regulatory concerns.
Bullet Points:
- Coinbase withdrew its support for the token amid concerns from the CFTC.
- Stablecoin rules remain a major point of contention.
- Armstrong is meeting with bank bosses to help shape legislation that works for everyone.
- Senate markup delayed while bipartisan talks carry on
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